Corvinus Clan
The Corvinus Clan, (lit. the "Clan of the Raven"), is a Hungarian clan whose genealogy plays a crucial plot device in the ''Underworld'' franchise. According to the prologue in the novelization of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the Corvinus Clan's domain was a Duchy"None was spared save Alexander, Duke of Corvinus." ~ Prologue, Rise of the Lycans novelization. The Clan's domain also included Castle Corvinus, which later came into possession of the Vampire's Old World Coven, and was the seat of their power for centuries, before being overrun by Lucian's forces. It was later burned down in a clash between Vampires and Lycans. History The Corvinus Clan has been around since at least the early seasons of the fifth century, if not earlier. Described by Lycan scientist Singe as "the rarest of bloodlines", it was from within the blood of one Alexander Corvinus, a Warlord, Duke, and the Patriarch of the Corvinus Clan, (and a recipient of this same rare bloodline), that the Corvinus Strain was mutated, in his immune system's response to a plague that ravaged his home village, his rare bloodstrain bonding with and adapting the plague virus, and himself in turn, to his benefit. In the end, Alexander alone survives the plague, becoming "the first true Immortal". The Corvinus Strain immortality virus would later become the parent strain for two subspecies: Vampires and Lycans, which mutated through his twin sons, Marcus and William Corvinus. Both Marcus and William inherited the Corvinus strain in its active form, ensuring that they were both born Immortal. Years later, as adults, William was attacked and bitten by a wolf, and later Marcus was bitten by a bat. In immune responses to the bites, they also bonded with, and were altered by, both the viruses and animal DNA that was deposited by the bites of the respective animals, resulting in the creation of two distinctive Immortal subspecies: Werewolves (who later gave way to Lycans) and Vampires. Alexander's wife, Helena, was a normal human, and their third son would only inherit the Corvinus Strain in a dormant form, and, as only a "Carrier", lived and died in a normal human lifespan, but not before continuing on the Corvinus bloodline. The dormant Corvinus Strain would appear less and less with each generation, but at least one known family line, (Michael Corvin's), can be positively traced through the male line all the way back to Alexander Corvinus through his mortal third son, by the continued presence of the dormant Corvinus Strain preserved in their blood throughout the centuries. The family name "Corvinus" survives to the present day as "Corvin". The ancient history of the Corvinus Clan has been long forgotten by its modern-day mortal descendants. In Underworld: Evolution, it is revealed that Alexander Corvinus had remained hidden in the shadows of time, and that he had created a secretive group known as the Cleaners to clean up all evidence of the war between the Vampires and Lycans. It is hinted in Evolution that Alexander had kept track of his mortal descendants, as he identifies himself as Michael Corvin's "forefather" when they meet. Following the events of the Lycan Rebellion, Viktor, one of the Vampire Elders, in his attempt to rewrite the past and take Marcus's place in history as the first Vampire, goes as far as to discredit even the very existence of the Corvinus Clan to the rebuilt Old World Coven. He even banishes Andreas Tanis, the Coven's historian, (and one of the few old enough to remember the truth), citing that Tanis had been documenting "malicious lies". As such, to the Vampire Nation as a majority, the Corvinus Clan is remembered as nothing more that a "ridiculous legend". In the family's more recent history, Michael Corvin's paternal grandparents immigrated to America from Hungary in the 1940s, after the events of World War II. Years later, around 1975, their grandson, Michael Corvin, was born. At the age of 28, Michael relocated to Hungary for a fresh start of his own, landing an internship as a trauma surgeon, less than a year before the events of the first film. At some point between the time Lucian turned Singe and the events before the first film, present-day members of Alexander's mortal descendants were tracked down and abducted by Lycans, on Lucian's orders. One by one, their blood was tested for the Corvinus Strain, and they all tested negative. Afterwards, they were killed. An unknown number of the Corvin family were killed before the Lycans turned their attentions to Michael Corvin. ''Underworld In the first film, Lycans working under the orders of Lucian track down modern day blood descendants of the Corvinus Clan in order to test them for the presence of the Corvinus Strain. Lucian is seeking to unite the offshoot viruses of the Corvinus Strain through their parent strain, the Corvinus Strain itself. An unknown number of Alexander's modern day mortal descendants are abducted, tested, and killed before Michael Corvin's blood tests positive for the dormant strain. Michael is bitten by Lucian and turned into a Lycan. At the end of the first film, the true first vampire Marcus Corvinus lies dormant in the coven house. During questioning by Victor, the Lycan scientist Singe is killed over Marcus' chamber - contaminating Marcus with Lycan blood. In the films' final battle the death dealer Selene saves Michael at Lucian's urging by biting him thus turning him into the first Lycan-Vampire hybrid. Underworld: Evolution In the events of the second film, Marcus Corvinus awakens as a Vampire-Lycan hybrid and after killing the entire coven, starts a quest to find where Victor imprisoned his twin brother William - the first Werewolf (whose descendants later evolved into the Lycans). Alexander himself dies after refusing any first-aid for the mortal injuries dealt to him by his own son, Marcus. As his final dying act, Alexander gives Selene his blood which contains the last of the pure Corvinus strain to make her strong enough to kill Marcus and William. Within a few hours of murdering his father, Marcus is slain by Selene strengthened by Alexander's blood, and his twin brother, William, is slain by their great nephew, Michael Corvin. At the end of this film, we learn that Selene is now able to walk in the sun due to the changes from consuming Alexander's blood. To date, after the events of the fourth film, the only known remaining members of the Corvinus Clan are Michael Corvin and his daughter with Selene, Eve. Known Members * Alexander Corvinus (Patriarch, Deceased - Originator of the Immortality strain) * Helena Corvinus (By Marriage, Deceased) * Marcus Corvinus (Vampire twin of William, Deceased) * William Corvinus (Werewolf twin of Marcus, Deceased) * Unnamed Third Son of Corvinus (Deceased - Carrier of the Immortality strain) * Wife of Unnamed Third Son of Corvinus (By Marriage, Deceased) * Michael's Paternal Grandfather (Deceased) * Michael's Paternal Grandmother (By Marriage, Deceased) * Michael's Father (Deceased) * Michael's Mother (By Marriage, Deceased) * James T. Corvin (Deceased) * Michael Corvin (Deceased) * Eve Trivia * The name, (or epithet), "Corvinus", is derived from the Ancient Roman Gens "Corvina", (feminine form of corvino), both of which are from the Latin "corvus", meaning "Raven". The genus "Corvus" in the family "Corvidae", (which is itself within the superfamily "Corvoidea"), is the genus for Ravens, (as well as blackbirds, crows, jackdaws and the rook). * "Corvinus", or "Corvin", was a name assigned by Romanians to those who became warlords, nobles or even a king of Hungary. The first Corvin was [[Wikipedia:John_Hunyadi|John Hunyadi (''Ioannes Corvinus)]], Voivode of Transylvania, Regent-Governor of the Kingdom of Hungary, who married a Hungarian countess. * According to the documentary Fang VS. Fiction, there was a real life Corvinus Clan around the same time as Vlad the Impaler, and that there were stories circulating about members of the clan becoming Vampires and Werewolves, as well as other things. According to history, the most memorable head figure of the real life Corvinus Clan was Matei Corvin/Matthias Corvinus (King of Hungary). * In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Lucian calls all Vampires and Lycans "the children of Corvinus." * Despite Viktor's efforts to re-write history, it appears that a few might have taken the "ridiculous legend" of the Corvinus Clan more seriously. In Awakening, when Selene mentions Alexander Corvinus's name, Detective Sebastian, (though human), recognises the name. It is likely that he had heard of Alexander Corvinus through his late wife, who would likely have approached other Vampires after she was bitten, and would have learned of the legend of Alexander Corvinus. * Nicolae is a non-canon member of the Corvinus Clan, appearing only in the non-canon novel, Blood Enemy. References es:Clan Corvinus fr:Clan Corvinus Category:Characters Category:Underworld characters Category:Evolution characters Corvinus Clan Category:Mythology